Too Late
by ISFAN
Summary: Oneshot prequel of sorts to my other fic 'My Stupid Mouth.'


**A/N**: Hi again. This one-shot takes place in the same universe as my prior fic **_My Stupid Mouth_**. It's a prequel of sorts. It's about Tommy's baggage; one of the reasons why he's so distant. I don't own Instant Star. All reviews are welcome as always.

_**Too Late**_

The divorce was mostly his fault; okay it was entirely his fault. He was 21, an Adonis, and was in a boyband for cripse sake! World tours and wives do not go together like peanut butter and jelly. He was the fat kid in the candy store and once he got his first taste he wasn't giving it up. And it didn't help that the paparazzi documented each of his conquests. When it came to conquests he was Alexander the freaking great. He was practically the face of Trojan, but not being a complete moron he got himself checked up every few months to ensure he was disease free. Nothing ruins an evening like a case of syphilis! He was on his A game and no one could stop him until he met her.

Sweet as apple pie, intelligent, beautiful, sassy, and called him on his shit time and time again. And to top it off she was a kindergarten teacher. It made no sense to him whatsoever, but before he knew it his heart belonged to her. He didn't know how it happened, but it did and no one was more surprised than him. His family was thrilled; they deplored his career, although they never considered it one, and his lifestyle. They couldn't be happier that he was settling down. He was even willing to give up said lifestyle and his career and take up the family business. He was a crazy man in love; it was the only rational explanation for his behavior. It was what she wanted; she never asked, but it he knew deep in his heart he would give up anything to be with her.

It was only a few hours before the wedding and he was sweating up a storm. He was nervously adjusting his bow tie as Kwest laughed at his best friend. He glared in his direction. Kwest merely shrugged and began laughing again as Tommy ripped off the bow tie because it was 'choking the life out of him and who invented these things anyway.' Tommy stopped fidgeting when Carrie knocked on the door and entered the room. "Care, isn't it bad luck to see me before the wedding?" Tommy said as he used his hand to shade his eyes. "Kwest would you mind giving me and Tommy a sec?" she said her dimples making an impression in her angelic face. "Of course." He said as he made his way towards the door and quietly shut it behind him. "You know how much I love you, right?" she said as she held his large hands in hers. "And I love you hence the penguin get up?" he said jokingly. "I'm serious Tommy." She said. "So am I." he said pensively as he looked at her somber expression. "What's going on Care?" he said apprehensively. "It would be better if you sit, Tom." She said biting her lip. "What's with the formality, Care, you've never called me Tom before..." He said as he shakily sat down in the chair. "I need to tell you something, no interruptions, alright…" she said as she nervously straightened the imaginary wrinkles on her white gown. "Your parents hired me to make you fall in love with me, to make you quit the business, and work for your father…" her voice trailed off her face awashed with shame. Tommy's face had become ashen, his hands clenched tightly into fists, as he stared at her with betrayal. "Everything we had was fake!" he said his voice breaking. "That night we met; it was all planned wasn't it. All those coincidental, gahh!" he yelled in anguish hurling the chair across the room. "I loved you!" he said shaking her shoulders. "I love you Tommy!" she said her voice thick with emotion. "Don't say that. If you loved me you would have never have gone through with this charade! If you loved me we wouldn't be standing in this room. And I…I could never love someone I hate!" he said angrily his words like blows to her small frame making her stumble back. "Why!" he said like a small child. "Don't Tommy; it would only make it worst." She said sitting in a heap on the floor her face glistening with tears. "The sky is falling, Care. It can't get much worse than it already has!" He said heartlessly staring down at her with his dark blue eyes. She looked up at him then and measured his words carefully. "Just. Tell. Me." he said as he crossed his arms on his chest. "I'm dying Tommy. Your parents were going to pay for my operation. An operation that should have taken place a week ago, but I didn't show up for my appointment. I wanted to give you the benefit of hearing it from me first and not from them when you're standing at my grave. I'm truly sorry Tommy. I love you with everything I am. But it's not enough. I don't have much time Tommy. I thought you should know…" she gasped in pain then. And all at once it struck him. She hadn't been feeling well this past month. She had grown thinner, paler, and lost a significant amount of weight. Her body bruised easily and she had barely slept. The light behind her eyes had been dimming and he hadn't noticed a thing. He thought it was because of how hectic and stressful the wedding preparations had been. He was wrong. "You're lying." He accused her bitterly hoping that she was lying and this was all a cruel joke. "I wish I was, love, but I'm…." she was saying before her body convulsed and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Panic rooted itself in his mind and he was mindlessly screaming for help. "Help! Someone help me! Please, anyone!" Tommy yelled blindly. Kwest heard him and ran into the room. "Call 911." Tommy said hoarsely before placing her head in his lap and supporting her weight with his body.

Tommy was sitting in the waiting room cradling his head in his hands when the doctor came out. "Before you go in there, Mr. Quincy, I want to let you know that she has signed papers for DNR." the doctor. Tommy looked up at him with a blank expression on his face. "Do not resuscitate." the doctor answered kindly. "I understand." he said shakily. "Come on, she doesn't have much time." the doctor said echoing her words.

Tommy walked as if in slow motion as he entered the small room. She looked frail lying there on the bed as if she were a rag doll. Her eyes were closed yet she didn't look peaceful. "Good." He thought bitterly to himself before he berated himself. As he made his approach she slowly opened her eyes. Each breath seemed to be a struggle against death. It was. "Hi." She said weakly. He didn't respond merely staring at her with dead eyes. "Don't hate me, Tommy. Everything we had, everything we shared, was real. I never faked how I felt for you. If circumstances were different…" she said gesturing weakly with her hands. "They're not." he answered coldly. "Don't let that wall of ice surround your heart, Tommy." she said softly as a cough wracked her body. "Why do you even care!" he said thoughtlessly like a petulant child. "Because I love you you idiot!" she said before her body dissolved in another fit of coughs. It took a few minutes before she was able to speak again. "Don't ever give up your music, Tommy, not for anyone. I know how happy it makes you. How it challenges you to be better to be more creative. You're an artist. Don't let anyone take that away from you." She said sincerely as she reached out her hand to mine. I was still so angry. Her eyes pleaded with mine and I took a step back plunging a metaphoric knife into her heart. "Don't give up on love." She said staring at me intently. I didn't bother to fight the bitter laugh that escaped from my throat. "Don't talk to me about love. After you…" he said not able to voice the words. "If I could take it all back and save you from this pain your feeling, this pain I'm feeling, I would, love." She said as tears streamed down her face. "Despite what you may think of me; I love you and will always love you. I wish you could see that." She said as another cough racked her body. "You should have had the operation." I said in a tight voice grabbing her hand. "I couldn't do that to you, love. I couldn't live in the shadow of those lies." She said. "So, you'd rather die…" I said in anguish before bringing her frail hand to my cheek. "I want you to live. I want you to love. And I want you to be free. Free to be who you are because you're worth so much more than what your parents and even you give yourself credit for. And I know that somewhere out there is a woman that is worthy of your heart…" she said resting her palm against my chest with her other hand. "Don't be afraid to show her how beautiful your heart is and the soul that lies beneath." She said her voice growing softer. "Love, Tommy. And forgive…" she said faintly. Her hand dropped away from my face. I looked up disbelieving as the blips on the machine plateaud and the world around me went to hell as doctors and nurses ran into the room too late.

_**The End.**_


End file.
